The benefits of exercise for your child begin in the womb

Posted on

24 July 2013

| Last updated on 12 July 2015

The Benefits of Exercise for Your Child Begin in the Womb

You will spend the first 15 years of your child’s life on earth – at least – pursuing the optimal state of his or her health. You will try your very best to make absolutely sure they get the best food possible and, if you are one of the wiser parents, you will also ensure that they receive adequate physical exercise. Physical exercise is so critically important for optimal mental function that I will write a full article on the issue sometime in the near future.

What if I told you that if you begin to take your child’s health seriously at birth that you are already late?

Your child’s health begins in your womb

This should come as no real surprise but many women assume that the more they “rest” and take it easy during pregnancy, the better it will be for the child. Some of this fear comes from ill-spread information around risks of miscarriage. These fears are unfounded. The key to effective and safe exercise during pregnancy is that your exercise plan should be well designed, building on your pre-pregnancy routine.

Importantly, the higher your exercise intensity, the lower the fetal heart rate ends up being. Low resting heart rate is a key indicator of health status. By exercising hard, you’re actually translating the beneficial effects of YOUR activity levels onto your child. Stupendous!

This “translating” is called Metabolic Imprinting and it is KEY to understanding why you absolutely need to begin or continue, if you do already exercise, well-structured, intelligent and effective exercise program during pregnancy.

Your stress levels, your activity type, level and frequency become part of your child’s future legacy. Your health becomes your child’s health. There is solid research that shows that children whose mothers exercised during pregnancy are leaner at 5 years of age. Brilliant!

What you need to be aware of to exercise safely during your pregnancy:

Your heart rate will go up around 15 beats per minute, so be careful about exercise raises your heart rate too fast
Avoid exercises lying on your back as this will make blood delivery to the fetus problematic
Do not do any rotational exercises (e.g. abdominal twists), instead do anti-rotational stability exercises (e.g. 1 arm holds).
Increase your daily calories by 300-400 calories, not more. Make sure these calories are nutritious.
Be careful with balance work as your joints are becoming more elastic which increases the risk of joint injury
Adjust movement patterns based on your new center of gravity and be aware of the new spinal stressors this can produce.

As you know, carrying and delivering a baby are massive stressors – the stress is progressive as the baby grows in the womb, and ends with a big bang – a super-trauma – the delivery. To come out un-phased, you need to ensure you’re in excellent shape- the better your conditioning and health, the better the baby’s. Something your child will be thankful for the rest of her life.

Besides the obvious benefit to the fetus via Metabolic Imprinting, there are benefits to you, the mother, if you exercise throughout your pregnancy:

Fewer labour risks and easier delivery because you are strong and fit enough to handle the super-trauma
60% less post-partum depression symptoms – this is extremely important.

It is much easier to regain abdominal muscle control – your body will find it easier to get back into shape after delivery. All your celebrities that instantly get right back into pre-pregnancy shape, as you know, are all avid exercisers and it shows!

Written by, Amir Siddiqui, Symmetry Gym

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